Right Gift Wrong Day

by Natalie Decker

  “A controller for Juliet. Did you forget?”

  She frowns. “It’s not that I forgot about getting the controller. I can’t remember which one I broke. She literally has five gaming systems in her room.”

  “Call her.”

  “She hasn’t had her phone on since the whole Mark incident.”

  “Why?”

  She groans. “He was calling and texting her non-stop.”

  “Okay. Block his number.”

  She frowns. “She did. Look; it’s a really long story. The gist of it she found it easier to turn off her phone. Still didn’t stop him from winding up on our front porch begging to see her. The first time it happened, I threatened to record his tears and send it to everyone on the football team. That did the trick at first, but he came by yesterday making such a scene.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? I’ll go to his house and put an end to all of this,” I say as we both exit my Jeep.

  Layla shakes her head. “Juliet told me to ignore him. She doesn’t want to be further humiliated. I hate this whole thing. I feel so helpless. I told her Mark was a good guy and it was okay to put her heart out there. The first time she does it, it got trampled on. I want to strangle him for what he did to her!”

  Pretty sure Jared might beat her to that honor. Still, I wish Layla would have told me Mark has been showing up at random, upsetting everyone. “Has Juliet seen him?”

  “No. Do you expect her to?”

  I grab her hand as we walk through the parking lot. “I’ll talk to Mark. When I’m done, he’ll quit hanging around and calling your sister.”

  “I want to respect her wishes but, I think you’re right. Today was the first time she’s left that room of hers for more than four minutes. I hate what he did to her. I hate it more just watching her crumble.”

  It crushes me to see Layla so affected by her sister’s breakup. It kills me more to know that none of this would have happened if Jared would have asked her out instead of that dumbass Mark. I know if Jared gets wind of how much Juliet is hurting, he’ll probably end up in jail for killing Mark.

  “Well, do you remember what the shape of the controller was?” I ask as we enter the store.

  She shrugs. “It was blue and had two joystick looking things on it. I don’t know. I don’t play video games much.”

  “It’s fine. We can just buy her two. She’ll just have an extra one. No big deal.”

  We round a corner and go straight to the electronic section. “You don’t have to do that,” she says.

  “Babe, I know I don’t have to. I want to.”

  “Okay. I feel really bad about this.” The look she gives me says there is more to it than that, but I don’t want to ask.

  “Well, I feel like shit for letting her date Mark.”

  She stops walking and I glance back at her. “What do you mean letting her date Mark?” she asks.

  I groan and dart my stare to the ceiling then back to her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just should have put more effort into stopping it. We had our doubts that he wouldn’t screw this up. We were wrong. That’s all.”

  “Who’s this we you’re referring to? And who else besides you knew Mark was a total douche?”

  I squeeze my eyes shut. “Jared and I are the we. If you’re asking if I knew what Adam was like, I’m not discussing that.” My blood boils that she would even mention him right now. What’s it matter what I thought about him anyway? He made her unhappy and is a walking toolbag.

  She folds her arms over her perfectly perky chest. “Did you?”

  She’s not going to let this shit go. I scrub a hand over my face. “Yes. I thought he was a prick. Happy?”

  Layla keeps her expression neutral. I don’t like this look because it makes it impossible to read her. I’m not sure if we’re about to have our first fight or not. Being about a week into a relationship and having a major blowout is never a good thing. Might as well tack that as a sign to end things now. Her neutral expression also can indicate she’s satisfied with my answer and happy with me. I’m hoping she’s happy. Taking a risk, I reach for her hands and pull her toward me. She wraps her arms around my waist, and I sigh before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “Don’t think for one second I won’t rip his limbs off and beat him with them. I would in a heartbeat. But to be honest, I also must thank that dumbass. If it weren’t for his stupidity I wouldn’t be here with you.”

  I plant a kiss on her lips and then on her forehead. “Are we good?”

  She smiles. “Yeah.”

  Even though we continue toward the controllers, hand-in-hand, I can’t help but worry if we really are good.

  Chapter Four

  Layla

  Shit. Tyler’s family’s Christmas Party is literally seven days away, and I haven’t gotten Tyler anything. Rachel agreed to go shopping with me, so maybe I’ll have a shot at not totally embarrassing myself.

  She paces in my room and glares at me. “Are you ready yet?”

  “Just a minute,” I say as I look around my room to make sure I have everything. Purse with cash? Check. Gift cards? Check. Phone? Check. I stalk over to my closet and pull down a gray sweater with peek-a-boo cutouts on the shoulders.

  “Layla, I want to get there while there are still hot guys wandering around aimlessly looking for gifts.”

  I raise a brow and shake my head. “Which means they probably have girlfriends,” I point out.

  “Or maybe they need help shopping for their sisters or mamas,” she winks.

  I slide into my fur boots. “I’m ready. Should we see if Juliet wants to come?”

  Rachel brakes at the door and whips around. “Lays, I love you. I do. I’d do anything for you but this. She’s a total Grinch. Do you remember what happened last year when we took her to the mall with us?”

  I wince at the memory. Juliet isn’t exactly a mall person. In fact, she hates shopping, unless it’s for books or video games which she usually buys online.

  “Do you remember when she told everyone to stop wishing her a Merry Christmas because it disrespected a whole slew of cultures who don’t celebrate Christmas?”

  I shrug. “Well, to be fair, she made a valid point.”

  Rachel rolls her eyes. “Even so, she also made some poor woman cry. I won’t do it again. You can take her and have a sister bonding experience or something some other day. Please. I don’t want to be embarrassed by whatever offensive thing that might come out of her mouth. And didn’t you tell me she’s been kind of on the grudge lately? I don’t want my car smelling like a barn of BO.”

  I pinch my nose between my eyes and say, “Okay.” Juliet may have showered a few days ago when Ty and I got her new controller. Has she since? I would say no.

  Rachel nods and proceeds to leave my room. As we step out into the hallway, Juliet appears. She’s wearing the same outfit she’s had on for two days now. Rachel shoots me a look.

  “Hey, sis,” I say.

  She mumbles something unintelligible as Rachel grabs my arm as Juliet passes us and moves down the steps. “Oh my God. You didn’t tell me she was like a freaking zombie. Have birds been secretly nesting in her hair? Layla, she’s beyond grudge mode; she’s a damn mess. You gotta fix this before we go back to school. People will eat her alive.”

  I frown. Yeah, I tried snapping her out of her funk. Nothing’s worked, and I’m worried Mark not only broke my sister’s heart, but he broke her completely.

  “Hey, Juliet, we’re going to the mall. Can you do me a favor and turn your phone on? Please,” I say as she shuffles down the steps.

  Juliet stops at the bottom step and glares back at me. “No. I don’t want to see any of his texts using someone else’s phone. I don’t want to see anything.”

  “Okay. How about this, we switch phones?” I offer.

  “So, she can have my number?” Juliet asks looking completely appalled at the idea that Rachel might ever get her phone number.

  “I will need you when I’m th
ere. Please.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Fine. It’s in my room.”

  I rush to her room and send a text using the voice app to Tyler.

  Me: Hey. Taking my sister’s phone. Don’t text.

  Tyler: Ok. Everything good?

  Me: Eh. Going out with Rachel.

  Tyler: K, have fun.

  Me: You too.

  I place my phone on her nightstand, grab hers and slip it into my purse, and head down the steps and out the front door. Rachel scowls at me from the driver’s side of her convertible. The top remains up, but the windows are down. It’s reasonably warm out for this time of the year, and Rachel is not a fan of recycled air.

  “I’m coming; don’t get your panties in a twist,” I say.

  “Who says I’m wearing any?” She smirks then winks.

  Oh my gosh! This makes me wonder why I am even friends with her. I shake my head and slide into the passenger seat. “Buckle up,” she says in her mock-granny voice.

  I laugh and snap the seat belt into place.

  I turn on Juliet’s phone as soon as Rachel pulls into a parking spot at the mall which is practically in BFE. As I unbuckle my seatbelt Juliet’s phone buzzes in my hand. “Oh, my.” There are like thirty-five unopened text messages sitting in her inbox.

  “Wow! What did your sister do, send a nudie to that dipshit?” Rachel pipes in as she peers over my shoulder as I’m trying to exit her car.

  I step out and make my way over to her while scrolling through the many messages. “No. She’s not like that. He’s been trying to apologize or explain or something. Here.” I hand the phone to her. “Delete them all, even the voice messages. God knows; when she does snap out of it, she won’t need to listen or see any of this crap.”

  Rachel’s finger slides along the front. “Uh, Layla. Are you sure you want me to delete these? Maybe she’ll want to read them.”

  “Yes, I want you to delete them. What would you have done if Adam blew up my phone with piss-poor excuses for what he did?” I snap as we walk closer to one of the entrances to the mall.

  Rachel sighs. “Well, Adam is a douche. I kind of think Mark didn’t mean to do what he did. I think Selena pushed him into it.”

  “If you’re not going to delete this, then I will.” I snatch the phone. Instead of hitting delete I accidentally hit send to contacts. “What did I just do?” I ask.

  “Uh … Layla you might have put Mark’s apologies on blast.”

  “Shit! How do I stop it?”

  She shakes her head. “You can’t.”

  “Omigod! Juliet is going to kill me.”

  Rachel takes the phone from me. Pushes some buttons then says, “Maybe she won’t know.”

  “Yes, let’s pray she doesn’t.”

  Chapter Five

  Tyler

  After Layla texts me that she’s going to the mall with Rachel without her phone, I decide to call the guys for some heavy gaming. I refuse to invite Mark, but Austin and Jared said they would show.

  As I’m setting everything up, Jared enters the gaming room with Austin in tow about ten minutes after I called. “Hey,” I say.

  Austin looks around the room. “Dude, ‘bout time you cut that ball and chain and decided to hang out with your boys.”

  I narrow my eyes. “She’s not like that, asswipe.” Have I turned into a whipped candy-ass?

  Austin rolls his eyes before taking a seat on my leather sectional. “Whatever, man. You’ve been hanging out with her every damn day we’ve been on break. I hope she’s worth it.”

  Jared shakes his head. “Don’t listen to him Tyler, he’s just pissed off that Rachel’s been blowing him off.”

  “I’m not pissed. I’m cool. She’ll come crawling back as soon as she sees me putting up all the points at the basketball games.” Austin is so delusional.

  Jared and I exchange looks. I take a seat in the middle section of the couch. “Well, let’s stop bullshitting and play some Fire Dome,” I say and start up the game.

  “Ready to take this ‘Splicer’ person down?” I ask.

  They both say, “Yeah, man.”

  We’ve been trying to take down this gamer named Splicer for weeks now. It seems like this person has seriously upped their game since winter break started. Every time we think we’ve got an in, this Splicer person destroys us.

  “I’m getting tired of this jerkoff,” Austin says. “I bet it’s some dorky little fifth grader handing our asses to us each time too.”

  “Man, I refuse to believe a fifth grader is kicking our asses like this,” Jared says. “It’s probably some damn freshman who whacks it ten times a day.”

  We tap our controllers furiously, working through a barricade to where Splicer is.

  “Bullshit! Can you believe this shit?” Jared snaps. “They have us cornered. Look at all the bombs they set up.”

  “I want to know who this guy is, take his ass out in real life,” Austin says.

  “He’s probably ninety pounds soaking wet,” Jared says. “You might be able to kick his ass. Although Tyler and I have both seen what you’ve been bench pressing lately.”

  I chuckle as Austin throws one of the decorated couch pillows in our direction. “You guys are assholes. I bench three hundred.”

  “Is that according to your math or real math?” Jared asks.

  I try to tune them out and focus on the game and the problems with Layla. Distracted by everything, I miss the trip wire in the game, and it blows us all up.

  Austin rips off his headset. “Dude. You killed us. We just told you there were bombs everywhere.”

  I scrub a hand down my face and groan. “Shit. I know. Sorry. I’m just … I don’t know what to do about Christmas.”

  “You open presents, eat food, and listen to boring family stories,” Austin says. “What else is there to do?”

  Jared shakes his head. “Dude. He’s talking about Layla.”

  “Bro, are you breaking up with her already? Is she too clingy or something?” Austin says.

  “No! I’m worried about if I should get her a gift or not. We haven’t been dating that long. My mom wants her to come to dinner, but you know how my mom can be. I don’t know if I want to subject Layla to my family just yet. What’s the protocol for this?”

  “What’s the protocol for this?” Austin mocks me, and I realize how damn ridiculous I sound.

  Jared sets his controller down. “Well, I say get her something. Be prepared for everything. Get the gift. Bring it. If she has something for you, you’re prepared. If she didn’t get you anything, keep it. Save it for her birthday or something. This way, all your bases are covered. God, I’m starting to sound like my dad.”

  “Your dad makes some good points sometimes though,” Austin says.

  “Yeah. He also sounds like a total asshole when he makes them,” Jared snaps.

  Austin says, “Well, you seem to have that part down too.”

  I get off the couch and start pacing. “What should I get Layla then?”

  “Dude, I didn’t come over here to listen to you whine like a baby over a girl. Get her a card and call it a day. You’ve only been together for what, a week?” Austin says.

  Jared smacks him. “You idiot. This is why you suck at dating. You don’t get a girl you’re dating just a card for Christmas. You need to ask one of her friends what she likes or why don’t you just ask your sister or something?”

  “I can’t do that.” If I ask my sister for help she’ll more than likely suggest a signed copy of her book. Layla would hit me in the face with that book. I can’t ask Layla. Even though it would make crap a whole lot easier.” Part of me wants to surprise her. What if Layla isn’t planning on exchanging gifts? What if we’re not at that level yet? Still, I need to be prepared. I can’t be that boyfriend who shows up empty-handed just because she might not have a gift for me. I’ll feel like a total jackass, and she’s already dated one jackass too many. “I’ll just do some recon.”

  Austin laughs. “
I hope it’s better than your recon skills in this game because, bro, you suck.”

  Austin pulls out his phone and says, “Oh damn. ‘Ha. Ha. Ha.’ Did you guys get this?”

  He turns his phone toward us. On it is message-after-message from Mark to Juliet with apologies. They keep coming too.

  “Wait. There’s a video,” I say.

  Austin clicks on it. The video plays with Mark crying. It looks like real tears too. “Juliet! Please talk to me. It wasn’t my fault. I swear. Please.”

  “Oooooh, shit!” Austin covers his mouth with a fist. I chuckle at how pathetic Mark looks.

  Jared makes a grab for the phone. Austin pulls it back. I know Jared is livid. “Shut it off!” Jared snaps.

  Austin shrugs and ends the video. “Wow. I didn’t think Juliet had it in her to put Mark on blast like that. She seems super shy and quiet whenever I’m around her. I guess it’s those types you’d better watch out for, huh?”

  I am about to agree until it dawns on me. Juliet doesn’t have her phone, Layla does. Aw shit. Wonder if she knows what she’s done?

  Chapter Six

  Layla

  So far, Juliet’s phone remains silent. Still, as I shift through the dresses on the clearance rack, I can’t help but wonder how many people may have already seen those texts. I hope Juliet doesn’t find out. “Layla, for the last time will you quit making that face? It’s going to be fine. So what, if a few messages got put out there?” Rachel says.

  I release my lower lip from my teeth and shake my head. “It was wrong.” Even though I’d gladly kick Mark in the balls if I ever come in contact with him again. I had no idea how bad it was. Juliet certainly hasn’t told me he was sending her stupid videos. She just said she was not going to answer her phone anymore while on break.

  “Okay, new subject. Why are you looking at dresses again?”

  As if my stomach wasn’t already in knots, this subject is even worse than the text messages fiasco. I take a deep breath. “I’m supposed to go meet Tyler’s family.”